64-foot drop. From Highway 43 connecting with Wisconsin out of Winona. Although the river is low at the moment, current is always strong under the twin bridges. Image: Steve Lunde
His issue apparently was Social Security dispute
WINONA, Minn. — A police negotiator talked a suicidal man off the Mississippi River bridge, ending 34 minutes of intense drama. The man, age 40, from Winona, was taken to the hospital. He had used his cell phone to call a friend from the high arc of the bridge 64 feet above the water. The friend called 911. This was about 8:35 p.m. The entire four-officer night police shift responded. So did sheriff’s deputies. The sheriff’s dive team launched its rescue boat and waited in the water under the bridge. The night was in the 3os. The man was wearing black pants and a black leather jacket.The police negotiator made contact with the man through his cell phone. The man said he had been “screwed over by Social Security.” He came off the bridge down a hiking-bicycling ramp. At the hospital he was placed on a 72-hold for evaluation.